#196 Dave Troy on Threats to Democracy

The Cognitive Crucible

The Cognitive Crucible is a forum that presents different perspectives and emerging thought leadership related to the information environment. The opinions expressed by guests are their own, and do not necessarily reflect the views of or endorsement by the Information Professionals Association.

During this episode, Dave Troy discusses threats to democracy. The related problems of disinformation, misinformation, and radicalization have been popularly misunderstood as technology or fact-checking problems, but this ignores the mechanism of action, which is the reconfiguration of social capital. By recasting these problems as one problem rooted in the reconfiguration of social capital and network topology, we can consider solutions that might maximize public health and favor democracy over fascism, even as the urgent need for stewarding human behavior may introduce ethical questions about what kinds of network configurations are ideal, and who might have the moral authority to oversee their pursuit.

Recording Date: 25 June 2024

Resources:

• Cognitive Crucible Podcast Episodes Mentioned
  • #62 Jonathan Rauch on the Constitution of Knowledge
  • #76 Yuval Levin on the Constitution & Institutions
  • #110 Sean McFate on The New Rules of War
• Dave Troy’s website
• Clarence Streit
• Work in Progress Article: Disinformation and its effects on social capital networks by Dave Troy
• The Network State: How To Start a New Country by Balaji Srinivasan
• Adventure Capitalism: A History of Libertarian Exit, from the Era of Decolonization to the Digital Age by Raymond Craib

Link to full show notes and resources

Guest Bio: Dave Troy is an investigative journalist focused on exposing threats to democracy. Based in Baltimore, his background as a technologist with an interest in studying online extremism affords him a unique perspective. His work has appeared at MoMA in New York, and he is a fellow with New America Foundation’s Future Frontlines. Dave writes regularly about information warfare, history, and politics. He is the host of the podcast Dave Troy Presents, and speaks regularly at conferences on disinformation, extremism, and information warfare. Contact information is available at davetroy.com.

About: The Information Professionals Association (IPA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to exploring the role of information activities, such as influence and cognitive security, within the national security sector and helping to bridge the divide between operations and research. Its goal is to increase interdisciplinary collaboration between scholars and practitioners and policymakers with an interest in this domain.

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